Rewind
by The Lighted Lantern
Summary: Fem!Prussia reflects on her history from the time of the Teutonic Knights all the way to the present, and how she came to love a certain Italian. Italy x Fem!Prussia


Hello!~ I noticed the lack of Italy Veneziano x fem!Prussia fics, so here's one for you guys! I worked hard on it. *glomps Italy Romano*

Romano:…Even though she is related to those potato bastardos, she is quite bella…

Me: I don't own Hetalia or any of the characters. It'd be nice to though...

* * *

Julchen looked over at the sleeping Feliciano next to her and smiled.

He really was cute, from his sweet face to that adorable curl sticking out from the side of his head.

She started stroking his hair, taking care not to touch the curl, knowing that it would make him uncomfortable.

Feli let out a small sigh in his sleep, lips curling up into a gentle smile.

Julie reached out to touch his cheek, which caused him to wake up. She pulled back when his eyes fluttered open.

"Ve?~ Ti amo, mio amore." He smiled and reached over to clasp her hands in his own.

"I love you too, meine leibe." She whispered back softly.

He responded with a kiss on her forehead. "I always thought you were bella."

* * *

The two of them had first met when Italy was still young and Prussia was still considered a Teutonic Knight.

Physically, they didn't look more than 3-6 years old, but both had ancient histories.

He was practically a baby, coddled by his grandfather and loved almost everywhere he went, as well as mistaken for a little girl because of his high-pitched voice and feminine appearance.

She was an older sister, and had to be the responsible sibling who took care of her little bruder, Holy Roman Empire.

However, they were separated, leaving few memories of each other. Holy Rome and Italy were taken in by Austria and the House of Hapsburg, and Prussia was left behind to fight for herself.

Chibitalia adored Holy Rome. Holy Rome was infatuated with the cute little "girl".

Prussia found joy in hunting and fighting with Hungary, for some time, until he left her to join Austria's household, leaving her all alone.

* * *

The Teutonic Knights had to grow up quickly, becoming the Kingdom of Prussia.

Leading her massive armies, she went forth and conquered, tussling with Austria and avoiding Hungary. She caused war with France as well.

The beautiful woman with the silvery hair and ice blue and ruby eyes was viewed as a formidable nation.

However, deep down, she was lonely. She was always alone, and although she always brushed it off, she would never admit that inside, she wanted someone who would understand her.

* * *

As the years passed, Italy suddenly matured from a young child to a young man, though he obviously still had a love for pasta and the things of his own country.

As Prussia watched him develop, she felt something stir in her heart.

It was only later that she would realize that she was falling in love with the Northern Italian.

* * *

She had seen him a few times whenever she visited to bug Austria and Hungary.

North Italy was still his cheerful self, but he seemed a little unsatisfied, almost incomplete.

She went to war three times, once against Denmark in 1864, and once against France in 1870. Yet it was the Seven Weeks' War against Austria in 1866 that meant the most to her.

Prussia knew both North Italy and South Italy were struggling to be free and become a unified, strong country.

Of course, Austria refused to give up his little servant, who was useful and hardworking. Spain also held onto the young Romano tightly.

Prussia could have just taken Austria's land and power, but she felt compelled to help the little Italian's cause, the Risorgimento.

When she and Italy were alone, she took the opportunity to speak to him.

"Ita, I heard that you're trying to become your own country."

He looked up at her and nodded.

She smiled. "Well then I can help you." She extended a hand to him. "Ally with me."

He agreed immediately, his eyes brightening.

* * *

Prussia battled Austria tirelessly. As their swords connected with a few sparks each time, she gritted her teeth and continued pushing her troops forward.

Sometimes she wondered why she was doing this, then a reminder of bright laughter and warm, golden amber eyes would harden her resolve to keep fighting.

The prominent scar on her face resulted when Austria brought his sword close and slashed it across her face. Even the steady drip of the blood trickling down her face didn't deter her from her goal.

She succeeded in forcing Austria to relinquish the city of Venice to Italy.

The wounds she had sustained suddenly seemed bearable and inconsequential when she spotted his joyful face.

* * *

She watched the two from a distance. Romano, South Italy, walked forward slowly, taking small measured steps towards his younger brother. Veneziano, North Italy, opened his arms wide and pulled his older brother into a hug.

"We're finally a fully-functioning country. Unified and strong."

"Ve, do you think that Nonno Roma would be proud of us?"

"I've no doubts, Veneziano."

She smiled as the two walked away. Italy was reunified at last, just as the brothers had always dreamed.

* * *

It was 1914.

World War I had come around. Her younger brother, Germany, had grown up considerably, and was running both foreign and domestic affairs with ease.

They had entered a Triple Alliance in 1882 with Austria-Hungary and Italy.

He had declared himself to be on the Central Powers side, allying himself with Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire (the modern-day Turkey).

She, although disdainful of the aristocratic nation and sympathetic towards Serbia's struggles, still had no choice but to follow along due to her promise.

North and South Italy had chosen to join the Allies after some tension with Austria-Hungary, abandoning their earlier neutrality and breaking their promise to them.

The Triple Entente of Britain, Russia, and France had offered him and his older brother an abundance of territory.

She would never forget when both Italies stood there and uttered the words, "We, the nation of Italy, declare war on Austria-Hungary and Germany."

Romano stared them down unblinkingly as he spoke, although Veneziano seemed more hesitant, purposely refusing to look either her or Germany in the eyes.

They were officially on opposing sides now.

* * *

Both of them took the betrayal deeply to heart.

Germany took to working his troops more than ever.

Broken-hearted over Italy's desertion, Prussia fought harder and harder each day until blood flowed like water, fiercely determined to win and prove that their side was worth staying with.

They were ruthless in their pursuit, with Germany even attacking ships of both enemies and neutral nations, which started upsetting America.

The war seemed to be in their favor until America chose to abandon neutrality, having reached the limit of his patience.

America's entry gave Britain and France a burst of morale, as well as Russia the opportunity to pull out.

Prussia and Germany fought valiantly, but they had started to tire and found the tables turned against them.

The war ended with Germany in heavy debt, heaped on by a vindictive France, who wanted to be repaid for the damage to his beloved country.

They met in a train car in France to discuss the reparations that Germany owed, and signed the Treaty of Versailles.

She watched impassively, head slightly bowed, avoiding eye contact with North Italy.

A sense of shame at losing the war hovered over the nation of Prussia.

* * *

A wave of discontent and unhappiness swept over Europe in the aftermath of the war.

Germany was biding his time, resentful and indignant at the way he was treated.

As Prussia watched her brother and the rest of the European nations suffer through this period, she couldn't help but feel as if something worse was in store for them, knowing that Germany was angry at his humiliation.

* * *

Germany rose again, taking power and mercilessly attacking other nations.

Italy came back to them and they officially became the Axis Powers with Japan, who had also been on the Allied side in the previous war.

And this time, he stayed loyal to them when the war started.

Britain and France were anxious to avoid another world war, and tried giving in to Germany's demands to appease him, but it seemed like he was practically impossible to satisfy.

Or maybe it was because the two Allied Powers were behaving passively.

Time was running out.

* * *

Sometimes she felt like she was slowly losing herself, fighting mere humans who only joined the military out of loyalty to their country.

She hated the feeling of killing innocent people.

_Am I becoming a monster?_

The Germany she knew was never this cruel and callous.

It was almost as if he was being possessed by his leader.

A feeling of uncertainty lingered whenever she had to take up a weapon against a young boy.

Japan was unreadable, and she couldn't help but feel a slight fear around him.

North Italy was the one who brought her the most comfort, for he was the most approachable of the Axis, as well as the one she had the closest relationship with, other than her brother.

While some of the awkwardness remained from their previous war, Prussia felt calmer whenever she looked into his golden-amber eyes and saw the innocence behind them.

His boss was ruthless as well, but it didn't seem to have affected Veneziano the same way it had sucked Germany in. Apparently it was because Romano had taken a greater burden.

Yet, deep down inside, Prussia and North Italy knew that Germany was not proud of his actions.

* * *

They had managed to force France into surrendering.

With a mirthless smile, she recalled that he was never much of a fighter, more of a lover.

Only England stood in their way now, and he was fighting hard.

China was occupied with Japan, and Russia was being kept quite busy as well.

America had chosen to stay neutral, which made it easier on the Axis.

* * *

December 8, 1941.

Japan had gone a little too far this time, having sunk U.S. ships in Pearl Harbor.

America officially declared war against Japan and joined the Allies.

Germany and Italy declared war against the U.S. because the Axis had to stick together at any cost.

But no one had anticipated how determined America would be to end this war on his own terms.

* * *

October 3, 1943.

Romano had decided to change sides and surrender some time before.

Veneziano would shortly follow suit.

Germany, Prussia, and Japan watched as they took Italy away.

Her face was impassive and stoic, but on the inside, every fiber of her being screamed for him to come back.

But this time, she couldn't blame him for leaving.

Germany and Japan had become even more unfeeling than she had previously thought possible.

The Holocaust was leaving her with fresh wounds on her back.

* * *

August 35, 1944.

France was officially liberated.

With America in the war, the scales had tipped in favor of the Allies.

His drive managed to spur England into action and motivate the troops to keeping on fighting to the end.

His gains were starting to worry the Axis, who hadn't taken him seriously at first.

With Italy gone, the war became even more bloody and unbearable. England, America, and Russia were all targeting Germany.

However, it seemed that the Soviet Union and the Western nations were starting to feel uneasy.

The Soviet Union's Communist government made America, and even Britain a little, feel insecure and anxious.

Germany and Prussia's only hope was that they would separate.

But time seemed to prove they were fighting a losing war, yet again.

* * *

Germany was forced into surrendering in 1945.

Japan was the only nation left standing in what was once the Axis Powers, but he still refused to give up.

The war ended officially when America dropped the Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Japan had no choice but to give up to protect his citizens.

The war was over at last, once again in the favor of the Allied Powers.

* * *

The Allies, once again victorious, were stating their terms to the Axis Powers. As the other Axis countries watched, the Allies declared Prussia no longer a full-fledged nation, dissolving her land. She and Germany were divided, he being the West, and she being the East. The Allies got her brother, naming him the Federal Republic of Germany, and splitting him into 4 zones while she was given to the Soviet Union as the German Democratic Republic.

Germany and even Japan watched her with saddened eyes as she was taken away by Russia.

Italy Romano and Italy Veneziano had both broken away, forced to surrender to the Allies, but they stood there, unable to do anything.

South Italy shot her a look of pity for her fate, while North Italy ran over and looked up at her with pleading eyes, clinging on to her arm.

The Soviet Union (once Russia) stopped, letting the once-nation of Prussia bend down to talk with the Italian. Italy sniffled and a few tears slipped out.

She smiled gently and wiped them away, "Don't cry. I'll be alright." Pulling him into a warm hug, she stroked his hair. "Hey, take care of yourself for me."

To the others, she merely said, "Take good care of them."

As the USSR continued dragging her away, only then did she quietly whisper the words that had gone unspoken earlier. "Please don't cry my love."

* * *

She was a bird at heart, always wanting to fly free, unrestrained and unconfined. Being bound to this cage was more than she could bear. The loss of freedom hurt worse than death, like having her feathers plucked and left to fend in the wilderness, a toy to be played with and forgotten.

At least Germany had the Allies taking care of him. She had nothing, nothing on this side of the wall.

Every morning was cold, gray, and cheerless, and the wall loomed over her, taller and taller with each passing day.

Russia–no, the Soviet Union now– had kept her chained up, like a pet, and fed her little. Prussia (now East Germany and the GDR) grew weaker and weaker every day. She had wanted to escape, find the small sliver of sunlight on the West side, but she never managed to free herself.

East felt the desire to just die and leave this stone cold prison of hers.

However, the memory of his sweet smile kept her struggling to live, just for that chance to see him again.

_Funny, _she thought with a wistful smile, _I guess I already forgave him for leaving us twice, when we needed him the most._

* * *

It was the year 1990 when she was finally set free.

45 years behind iron and stone.

While she was glad to be able to see her friends and embrace them, especially her brother Germany, who was crying, she felt a pang of discomfort at the thought of Italy, resisting the desire to just throw herself in his arms and lose all those thoughts of the past.

However, Italy wasn't there, as he was dealing with his own problems, as well as his brother.

East, once Prussia, wasn't sure whether to be relieved or dejected about that.

On one hand, she had waited decades just to see him again, and all those reminders, those deep wounds, would be washed away with a simple smile from him, in all its brightness and joy.

At the same time, she couldn't bear the thought of burdening him with herself, broken and scarred.

After all, he was sunshine, happiness, and warmth, everything she wasn't.

She had become part of the cold and dark after those 45 long years of pain.

How could she give him the pure, unspoiled love he deserved, tainted as she was?

* * *

An unexpected encounter led to her looking up and staring into a pair of beautiful golden-amber eyes.

"Something's been bothering you, hasn't it? You haven't visited me in a long time." His melodious voice reached her ears.

_Should I tell him? I don't have much time left. The last thing I want is to end my time here with a regret._

"I-I was just thinking..."

He walked towards her and cupped her face. "You can tell me."

She stared at his dazzling eyes and dropped her gaze.

He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, letting go of her chin.

"I'm sorry Italy, but I-I...I'm in love with you. I didn't want to burden you with this, because I know you don't love me back." She confessed, backing away.

She started walking away, but Italy grabbed ahold of her arm and stopped her from leaving.

"You're wrong." He said simply.

"W-what?" She looked confused.

"I do love you."

Tears started trickling down her cheeks. "No, you love Holy Roman Empire, not me."

She turned away. "Holy Roman Empire is Germany. He was reborn because I begged to save him. It was always him that you were looking for. You don't need me."

She felt his arms wrap around her and hug her from behind. "Listen to me."

She was silent, waiting for his response.

"I was waiting for Holy Rome to come back, but he never did. Romano and I both grew tired of being under Spain and Austria's control, so we tried to get out. We wanted to be a fully unified nation, worthy of Nonno Roma's legacy."

She felt his arms tighten around her waist and his head rest on her shoulder.

"I was starting to give up hope, because Austria kept squashing any of my attempts at freeing myself. But then you came. You reached out to me. How could I forget? You were always there, and you risked yourself to help me."

She bowed her head. "But I'm no longer a full-fledged nation anymore. I'm dying. As people are forgetting about my existence, I am starting to weaken. Sooner or later no one will remember and I'll fade away as if I was never there. I hold too many memories of the painful past."

"No nation is truly forgotten. As long as you have something to stand for, you'll be remembered. You were never as widespread as Nonno or Germania. When they were broken up, they were too large in the first place to have survived. Most of your land is still intact as East Germany, and therefore still represents something. You didn't lose enough land to have lost your identity completely."

She was surprised at how wise the Italian had become. It was almost as if they switched roles, she as the student and he as the teacher.

She slowly turned around and raised her head.

Mesmerized by the way her unique eyes gleamed in the sun, even through a mask of tears, he smiled and leaned in, gently kissing her.

"Ti amo. I love you. I've loved you ever since you risked yourself to help me and my fratello unite."

He wiped her tears away softly. "Don't cry, mia bella. I'll always be by your side, amore."

* * *

He sat up and looked into her eyes, giving her a peck on the lips before pulling her close to him. "What are you thinking of, amore?"

Cheeks tinged red, she stared back into those pools of honey gold, overwhelmed with the influx of memories and emotions.

He tilted his head quizzically, brushing her cheek gently with his hand. "Tesoro?"

Her lips tugged up into a quick smile, and she entwined her fingers with his. "Nothing much, really."

It really didn't matter anymore, that is.

* * *

**A/N:** *runs away from haters*Sorry not sorry! It's technically not pedophilia because she only falls in love with him after he becomes an adult, or at least it's supposed to be like that.

Yeah about the whole Holy Rome thing…I wasn't sure at all. I just thought that was a possible reason.

And I may have made fem! Prussia OOC, but I personally believe that her personality is a little softened after all she's been through.

*hugs a struggling Romano* Drop a review please? Flames will earn you a tomato-smacking, courtesy of Lovi~ But constructive criticism and just plain old comments are always appreciated.


End file.
